catbirdseat

The Ballroom is the one that doesn't have pitchers where we willstrickland came to visit last year, right?

Bump. I added some pictures.

I used a pair of Cassin aluminum crampons on an alpine ice climb at 45 degrees and they performed well. I avoided walking on rock as much as possible, however. Just make sure they are sharpened each time you go out, that they are fit your boot correctly, and use proper French technique wherever possible.

I tested my Metolius for the first time yesterday. I mean on a beer bottle. It performed admirably.

"He has hiked up Badger Mountain, an 800-foot peak in Richland, more than 1,300 times with 40-pound weights strapped to a backpack in anticipation of the 50-pound-pack he would carry up the steep glacial slopes of Rainier. Painter also bicycles about 100 miles a week. His wife of 58 years, Evelyn, rides alongside. But she stays out of his way in the kitchen." If someone were to show this fellow how to pack light, there is no telling what he might accomplish!

This sounds interesting. I wonder if any of you have climbed this. http://www.summitpost.org/show/route_link.pl/route_id/108/object_id/230 This year probably isn't a good year for it, though. A fellow I met on Maude who had scrambled Seven Fingered Jack, was surprised we'd succeeded on the N. Face Route, because he said it looked melted out. I am sure he had the couloir route confused with the N. Face route.

Oh, for a minute there, I thought you were actually posting about something that you yourself had climbed.

I see you have a good excuse for not joining us- East Ridge of Forbidden!

Climb: Mount Maude-North Face Date of Climb: 7/24/2005 Trip Report: Richard Conner (waterboy) and I did this climb Sunday, with support from his wife Leigh and dog Boady. A third climber bailed at the last minute. After a bivy at the Phelps Creek TH on Saturday night, we departed at 4 am. Leigh and Body headed up to the basin at 7 am. We reached the col between Seven-Fingered Jack and Mt. Maude at 8:30 am. Roped up for the traverse. Protected a couple of sections with gear placements on running belay. Traverse is 3rd class with lots of exposure in place, some snow, but mostly rock. On route at 10:30 am at about 7,500 ft elevation. Condition is mostly alpine ice, essentially very hard snow. We did cross one section of very old, dirty, glacial ice. This stuff is practically bullet proof. On the ascent we used running belays the entire way, with usually only one piece between us. The climb was done in two long blocks and one short. By taking advantage of occasional nut placements, we were able to conserve our snow pro and extend the pitches. Ice conditions were close to ideal, especially near the top where it reached about 45-50 degrees. There was only minor rock fall, most of which funnels down the center of the ice. We stayed to the right of it at first and then to the left. The summit was reached at about 1:30 pm. Decent was via the South Ridge, except we chose a variation that went down a gully system to the notch. It was loose and unpleasant and not to be recommended over the standard scramble route. On the traverse back to LeRoy Basin we had to cross a mud gully that was unusually hard to cross, steep unstable dirt and rock on the sides. It is easier to cross below the usual crossing point. Reached LeRoy Basin 4 pm, Phelps Creek, 5 pm, TH at 6 pm. Gear Notes: 37 x 8.5 mm rope, set of nuts, pink, red, blue tricams (used only pink), #3 LoweBall (used twice), 3 pickets, 2 flukes, 1 ice axe and 1 ice tool, two-way radios for communication with support crew. Might have used one ice screw had we brought one. The aluminum crampons I brought were fine, but I took them on an off to avoid walking on rock in them. Approach Notes: Just a few blow downs on LeRoy Basin Trail. I forgot to mention the wildflowers were really pretty and we saw many colorful butterflies at the summit.

Two missionaries were travelling in darkest Africa. One was a wise, old exprienced one and the other was a greenhorn. One day they were captured by natives and were tied under a tree to await their fate. All was quiet until drums began beating. "Why are those drums playing? Is it bad", said the young missionary. "On the contrary, it's really quite good. The time to worry is when they stop", said the older man. "Why is that?", said the young man. "Bass solo", was the reply.

Horsecock-eating cat! Post of the week!

You have a knack for stating the obvious.

Ask Toast. He was up there last week.

If they figured he had an explosive belt under that overcoat, they unloaded on him thinking he was about to detonate the bomb.

I see you are holding her down lest she float away into space.

There is only one bolt that I remember and it was at the very start of the fifth pitch, as I recall. You step up onto a left facing slab and make a bit of a traverse before going up. I don't remember the tunnel, unfortunately.

Were your custom insoles made from a plaster cast of your foot? It is quite possible that your tele boots simply didn't have enough room in them to put an insole with a lot of arch support. The top of the boot may have pressed downward on your foot too much. Who knows? I had some knee problems at first with my orthotics, after which the doc adjusted the angle of the foot strike by building up the insert on one side using some sort of putty-like material that sets up solid. After that, I've never had knee problems.

What? The City of Destiny?

The definition of "overpriced" is the relationship of living costs relative to income. There is a reason why Seattle is overpriced. People want to live here for reasons other than monetary ones.

Not mitigating. The word you want is exacerbating.

Where exactly will you be?

Gag me with a spoon. Aauuughhhh! I can't believe we still don't have the vomicon in the gremlin lexicon.

That's not quite right. The goal of the female is not just to get impregnated, but rather to raise offspring to the point where it can reproduce. She does this by providing for the young as best she can. It may require two males, in fact, if conditions are difficult, and this actually is the case in parts of Nepal. The male also wants to have lots of offspring old enough to reproduce and he does have incentive to provide for the young, but promiscuity is another way of accomplishing the same thing with less effort.

Rod, that was East Wilmans Spire, was it not?